Open Your Heart, I'm Coming Home
by Color With Marker
Summary: Book Two of Radiant Garden Kids Trilogy. Life hasn't been easy on them. Zexion is abused by those older than him. Saix lusts after being the Superior's. Kairi struggles to remember her past. Everything about Axel is conflictive. They'll try their best to find a silver lining - but can they? Takes place from before the first game up to Dream Drop Distance.
1. Chapter 1

Zexion kept his eyes glued to the ceiling and prayed for his nightmare to finish. Thanks to his illusion, all Xemnas could see was the face of an excited and eager boy who wanted nothing other than to please his superior; in reality, tears rolled down his pale cheeks as he prayed to all the gods to make this experience over sooner.

Once it was over, Xemnas tossed him aside and left the young nobody discarded on the bed. When he was alone, the illusion broke, and he allowed himself to cry freely.

Two years. It's been two years living as a Nobody. He was only fifteen years old. Fortunately, Nobodies aged, or else he'd be trapped as a pre-pubescent boy just barely beginning to agonizing process of puberty. His voice had grown deeper, and more theatrical, according to Lexaeus. He was still an apprentice, but only to Vexen, who hadn't stopped treating the lower-ranking Nobody as his own son. In these two years, there hadn't been any more members after Isa and Lea became Saïx and Axel. Initially, Ienzo thought, because they'd grown up as friends, they'd remain friends, right?

Not in the slightest. It was Saïx who grew bitter toward Zexion at first, which caused tensions between the former and Axel. Saïx soon became Xemnas' lapdog, only seen when they had to hand in reports on their missions or were receiving them. Outside of that, Saïx remained holed up in his room or the Superior's room. And Axel? Well, he'd been sent on a mission that has caused his appearance in the Castle That Never Was to grow very scarce over the past seven months.

That left Zexion to defend himself.

Being the illusionist of the Organization, he didn't require any weapons, like Xaldin's lances and Lexaeus' tomahawk. Without anything on him to defend himself, he was vulnerable at all times. The older members found the young, helpless teen to be rather enticing. They'd always find a way to get their gloved hands on him and...

Zexion shut his eyes. He didn't want to think about it anymore. Instead he portalled to Vexen's lab, where the blond was working with Lexaeus on what looked like a fetus in a glass jar. The project was soon abandoned when the older Nobodies saw the limping teen enter the room.

"Oh, no, not again!" Vexen exclaimed. Zexion was picked up bridal-style by Lexaeus and gingerly laid down on one of the empty beds. He rolled on his side. This was a procedure he'd grown used to.

"The Superior seems to find me very favorable this month," he commented bitterly.

"How rough was he this time?" Vexen asked as he took off his current pair of latex gloves and put on a new pair.

"I'm most likely leaking blood. I'm surprised he still manages to find a way to tear me." He chuckled darkly.

"This is no time for laughing, Zexion. He's going to end up causing permanent damage one of these days, and you'll be the last one to laugh it off." Zexion's pants were brought around his ankles and the back of his cloak was lifted. "Well, he did quite a number on you this time. It amazes me how you were even able to limp with this much damage." The teen didn't flinch when he felt cold latex fingers prod at him. Lexaeus couldn't look anywhere below Zexion's waist, unsure how he'd be able to handle watching the same occurence happen over and over again.

"You may want to check my torso this time," Zexion said. "He was a bit more violent with his hands as well."

"Should I pull your trousers back to your waist before unzipping your coat?"

"Does it even matter at this point?"

It didn't. Both of the other men had seen this enough times to know Zexion had stopped caring about covering up his body at this point. Vexen pulled the zipper down carefully before pulling back the black leather. Welts, bruises, and cuts, none of which seemed too severe to require stitches, were decorated across Zexion's frail frame. The blond felt the urge to throw up.

"This is worse than the encounter you had with Xaldin last winter," Lexaeus observed. He shuddered at the memory of a crisscross mark in the center of Zexion's body.

"I've already lost track of what the others have done," Zexion said. He let Vexen remove his clothing entirely and dress him in a standard hospital gown. His entire body was too sore to move on his own.

"I wish we could do something to prevent this," Lexaeus sighed.

Vexen punched the wall. "But we can't because they're our damn superiors!" he growled. "And they can continue to get away with this as long as they want! Bastards!"

"Vexen, please-"

"And what about the other members? Who knows how long before Saïx or even Axel try to force themselves on him? Or new members? And because the Superior is the leader of this merry group of rapists, he won't do anything about it! How much longer? How much longer until they break Ienzo?"

"Stop!" Zexion cried. "Don't call me that!" He could take anything the others threw at him, but once the name of his Somebody was spoken, he would lose it, especially since his superiors loved to grunt and moan it with their thrusts.

Vexen saw the err in his rant. "Oh, Zexion, I'm sorry," he said. "It just slipped out, I promise. I just get so angry when these things happen to you..."

"Only if you could understand how I feel," the teen muttered. He drew his knees to his chest, ignoring the pain shooting through his body when he did so, and hugged them tight to his body, his fists clenched tight. He sniffled. He would not cry, not in front of them.

"Zexion, please stop trying to use your illusions to hide your pain."

"I didn't think Nobodies could feel at all."

"You know damn well that's nothing but a hoax." Vexen sat on the bed and put his arms around his son. "Don't be afraid to let yourself show emotion in front of us. You can trust us, Ienzo."

That broke Zexion instantly. "Dad," he whimpered. He buried his face into Vexen's cloak and sobbed, his hands grabbing onto the leather tightly. Vexen hugged the teen closer. Lexaeus sat behind the young Nobody and courteously pulled the white sheet beneath him to cover what the hospital gown didn't before rubbing the teen's back sympathetically.

Vexen and Lexaeus may not have hearts, but wherever they were, they broke into millions of pieces at the sight of Zexion falling apart before them.

* * *

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the sweet smell of sweat and lust. Must be our good old Superior," Xigbar called out crudely as Xemnas entered the Grey Room.

"Must you be crass, Number Two?" the Superior asked with an eyeroll.

"Aw, c'mon, Xemnas, we all know where you came from. Tell us each dirty detail." Xigbar threw his arm around Xaldin, who'd been quietly reading a book next to the freeshooter and was fine minding his own business, but was also curious about what the Superior would have to say.

Xemnas reluctantly sat down. "This time, he was nearly begging me to bed him. It wasn't a battle to spread those thin legs of his at all."

"You lucky son-of-a-bitch!" Xigbar cackled, punching the other lightly on the shoulder. "I gotta hold the brat at gunpoint to get him to reach for his zipper! Maybe next time will be a cinch, eh?"

Lurking in the nearby corridor, out of sight from the three highest-ranking Nobodies, stood an irate Saïx, who took in every word and movement. His amber eyes twitched at the idea of Xemnas yet again taking Zexion.

It was a strange concept for him. It never bothered him to hear of Xigbar's very detailed, long-scripted speeches on every little thing he did to Zexion between bedsheets, or when Xaldin was cleaning the young boy's blood from the tips of his lances minutes later. But the second Xemnas came out basking in the glory, every hair on Saïx's neck stood up, and red painted his vision.

Why Zexion? What made him so special? The boy was only fifteen, barely old enough to grab any real world experience. Saïx was eighteen. In most other worlds, you had to be eighteen to do certain acts legally. During his days as a Somebody, he picked up a few tricks from others. He would do anything for the chance to please his Superior. He followed him around, earned the position as the right-hand man, waited on him hand-and-foot each and every day. All Zexion did was sass other members and act icier than Vexen on even a good day. How was a difficult-to-cooperate-with, angst-filled teenager that much more appealing than the man who was always there for him, who worshipped him as if he were a golden idol?

In his mind, the memory of his last conscious moments as a Somebody were fresh.

"_I find out setting to be rather perfect, my Luna Diviner. I hope you don't plan on hiding forever, little berserker. It's rather lonely without you at my side._"

If it were so lonely, why turn to Zexion? The pet names, the setting, the lust he knew was filled in his once-blue eyes... what wasn't getting into Xemnas' mind?

"_It disheartens me to see a face as lovely as yours be marred in such a way. It's a shame, really. But it's too late to take it back now._"

Out of habit, he took off his glove and ghosted his fingers over the smoothed scar on his face. A large X that met on the bridge of his nose. A mark that meant both Xemnas and Xehanort. He was practically marked as Xemnas' property, yet it was meaningless to the older man. Just a battle wound.

"_I think you'll be a fine addition to my Organization. I hope you won't disappoint me._"

He'd promised he wouldn't. So why does Xemnas still refuse him?

Saïx slipped his glove back on and turned in the other direction of the Grey Room. He had reports to file anyway.

* * *

"Beat you! Beat you!"

"Nuh-uh! We totally tied this time!"

"Sora, you say that _every_ time we race. But you always lose."

"Liar! Kairi, tell Riku that we tied."

The young redhead giggled. "Sora, you know Riku beat you by a landslide."

Said brunet plopped down on the sand next to Kairi and crossed his arms angrily. "You always take his side!" he pouted.

"I'm not choosing sides. I'm telling you the truth."

The silver-haired winner sat between his friends and threw an arm around Sora. "Don't worry. One day, you'll finally tie against me."

"Aw, shut up, Riku!" Sora shrugged Riku's arm off. "At least I can still beat Kairi in racing."

Kairi snorted. "Yeah, barely," she teased.

"Hey!"

Kairi and Riku laughed at Sora's childish behavior, which matched his age of ten years. He was the youngest of the trio, with Kairi being eleven and Riku himself twelve. It's been two years since Kairi had mysteriously appeared on Destiny Islands, introduced as the mayor's new adopted daughter. Because Sora's mother worked for the mayor, the two boys were Kairi's first friends. They'd been inseparable ever since.

Kairi looked out at the ocean and saw the sun setting in the distance. She stood up and stood at the shore, letting water lap at her sandal-clad feet. She sensed one of the boys standing next to her but was too intrigued by the sunset to tear her eyes away.

"Every night, you insist on watching the sunset," Riku said, "but you never say why."

Kairi hesitated before answering, "Because I don't know why." She tilted her head to get a better view of the variety of colors. "Something about the red draws my attention."

"Maybe it has to do with where you came from before here."

Kairi looked at Riku with a puzzled expression. "But I've told you before, I don't remember anything about where I came from. All I remember is waking up in my bedroom the day I met you and Sora." She twisted her neck and saw Sora sitting where they left him, still pouting sorely.

"It's a piece of the large puzzle of your past," Riku said, "and you don't know what else it connects to yet."

"You're probably right," Kairi replied with a smile. Her gaze returned the setting sun. "I'll figure it out someday."

* * *

Axel absolutely hated water. It was natural, of course, that he would. Water was the natural enemy of fire. Two things can destroy fire: lack of oxygen, and water. Therefore, water was the enemy. Yet, here he was, swimming around Atlantica with a long red tail from his hips down instead of his usual two legs, and his hair tied back with kelp rather than letting it float in his face, as it had been for the past two weeks. So far, he'd been avoiding sharks and squid, almost was kidnapped by two very strange eels, and had a woman with the lower body of an octopus trying to entrance him (which might've worked had it not been for her body and clear motives for what she wanted him for).

But he had to suck it up, because he was on a special mission: recruiting a new member for the Organization.

Outside of Xemnas, who had a bit of every Nobody's power, none of the Organization members actually had the ability to turn a person into a Nobody. They had to lure the unsuspecting victim into a horde of Heartless, all of whom took advantage of those who were defenseless and alive. Then they would meet that person outside of a creepy mansion in Twilight Town (why that destination was chosen was unknown, other than they needed a new spot after the destruction of Radiant Garden) and wait for the Superior to give them their new name and vaguely explain the situation of their existence. It was a process that hasn't been used since Axel's (well, technically Lea's) own demise over two years ago.

Now he was gathering victim number nine. He had to find a certain boy named Myde and figure out how to trick him into following him, as Xemnas had instructed. Little did Xemnas know (or did he?) that Axel was well aware of who Myde was, and how easy it was going to be to make the naïve merman leave Atlantica with him. In fact, he probably could've accomplished it by now, had the merman not been following around a young redheaded mermaid everywhere they went. He just needed to wait for the right moment...

And suddenly, King Triton emerged from the castle, shouting a name angrily. Myde swam away at an impressive speed as the mermaid froze where she was. Axel grinned and slithered around the sea to follow Myde.

They swam for over twenty minutes before approaching a cave. Myde looked around to make sure no one was following him and clearly didn't see Axel before going inside. Axel naturally followed, coming across a large cave partially filled with paraphernalia from the mainland. Myde was swimming up to each object and observing them with a smile on his face.

"You don't look much different from the last time I saw you," Axel announced, making his presence known. Myde was frightened by him and crashed into the cave wall, before collapsing on the ocean floor with a pile of silver holding him down. Axel smiled and added, "I mean, besides the tail."

"Who - who are you?" Myde asked, his eyes wide with fear.

"Let's just say I'm an old friend."

The merman moved the silver off of him while staring at Axel, trying to analyze the stranger. "...I've seen you before. You live in Radiant Garden with..." He looked down. He didn't want to finish that sentence.

"Yeah, well, we aren't exactly in Radiant Garden anymore," Axel admitted. "We kinda ended up elsewhere."

"What about him? Is he okay?"

This was way too easy. Axel swam over to Myde and held out his hand. "If you come with me, I can bring you to him."

Myde stared at the proffered hand momentarily before accepting it and following Axel.


	2. Chapter 2

Zexion could barely sit properly in his seat, he was so sore. He shifted his weight on one hip and curled up his legs, not caring how unprofessional his behavior was at the moment. He was in too much pain to care at this point. He looked around the room. In the highest chair, Xemnas sat looking high and mighty, with Xigbar and Xaldin in the seats next to him with similar looks. Vexen sat between Xigbar and Zexion, trying to suppress the anger of having to fix up Zexion again the night before after Xaldin ambushed him during a mission. ("If I could, I would turn that dreadlock-headed monster into a million dusks and poisoned them all!") Lexaeus, as usual, sat quietly next to Xaldin. On the ends were Saïx and Axel. Axel looked beyond guilty, while Saïx shot dirty glances at Zexion now and then. The teen chose to ignore it and listened carefully to the Superior.

"Men, I have wonderful news for you all," Xemnas began the meeting. "After two long years of no new members, I'm glad to announce that our ninth member has just been inducted today. He's much unlike any of us, so please try to help him fit in with the rest of us." Zexion felt a chill run down his spine when Xemnas grinned at him. "I don't think any of us will have any problems with him." He looked down at the center of the room. "Ah, here he is. Gentlemen, meet our ninth member: Demyx, our Melodious Nocturne."

Zexion froze. He watched as a cloaked figure stepped forward, its head concealed from view at the angle he was looking down. The figure removed the hood over its head to reveal a very unique blond head and wide ocean eyes. If he had a heart, it would've stopped. Quickly, Zexion pulled his own hood over his head in hopes of not being spotted. He felt Vexen's cool glare directed at him.

As soon as the meeting was adjourned, Zexion portalled to the Grey Area and collapsed on one of the couches. He struggled to breathe. He couldn't believe it. Myde - well, Demyx now, as he was going to fail to remember, he was sure of that - was in Organization XIII. After two years, he'd been found. But how? Almost all the missions lately had been to Hollow Bastion to find any lost items of importance from what was one Radiant Garden. All of them except...

...Axel.

As if on cue, the redhead portalled into the Grey Area as well. The guilty look returned when he caught Zexion staring. "So, I guess you know our new member?"

"Don't try to sugarcoat this, Number Eight," he said bitterly. "I'm not sure if I should hit you or hug you."

"Well, Zexion -" Axel and Zexion often argued over whether they should call each other by their names or their numbers, "- wouldn't one need to have some kind of emotional conflict in order to know whether or not to react in such a way?" Zexion growled. He knew what Axel was doing, and he had no tolerance for this behavior whatsoever.

"Are you trying to challenge me? Up until today, you've been the lowest rank here. You have no place to speak like that, especially to me of all people," Zexion said. He tried to ignore the rising temperature in the room, a usual sign that Axel was ready to whip out his chakrams and start throwing them. In preparation, he kept one hand behind his back, just in case he needed to summon his Lexicon.

"You know, I thought you would be thrilled -"

"And who was it who just spoke about not having emotion?"

"- that I reunited you and your beloved Myde after all this time," Axel sneered. "Why do you think Xemnas sent me after him? You know how much he and the older members would go crazy without being in the same castle as you. Vexen and Lexaeus would too, but for entirely different reasons. And Saïx needs to be up Xemnas' ass twenty-four-seven. Besides, you would've warned Myde to leave Atlantica, would you not?" When Zexion didn't answer, but rather looked past Axel, the redhead turned and saw Saïx standing behind him. "Shit," he muttered.

"How dare you speak such monstrous things about your superior members," the blue-haired teen snarled.

"About all of them, or about just one in particular?" Axel responded with a challenging eyebrow raise.

When the five eldest members arrived in the Grey Area with the new addition, Axel was trapped between Saïx's claymore, which he easily held off, and three clones of Zexion, each having somehow acquired chakrams of their own, while Zexion himself sat on one of the couches with a look of anger tainting his face.

"I was wondering how long it'd be before one of them snapped," Xigbar laughed. "I got one hundred munny on Axel."

"I'll bet two hundred on Zexion," Xaldin said. "The kid isn't doing shit."

"But look at our little pyro. He's fighting four-against-one and isn't breaking a sweat."

Xemnas wasn't amused in the slightest. "Enough!" he boomed. Instantly, the claymore, chakrams, Lexicon, and clones all vanished at the sound of the Superior. "Is this the kind of example you want to set for Number Nine?" he asked. When none of the boys responded, he sighed. "All of you need to retire to your rooms. Tomorrow you'll all return to your missions, and one of you will have to train Number Nine as well." Zexion's eyes lit up with hope, only to be shot down when Xemnas asked Xigbar to do it. His non-existant heart shattered at the lustful look Number Two gave to the new boy. He had to keep Demyx far from the other members, and he was willing to do anything to make that happen.

* * *

Saïx never slept easily at night, especially during the full moons, which tonight was. Kingdom Hearts shone brightly in the black of night. The Lunar Diviner roamed the halls, only the sounds of his boots against the white tiles keeping him sane. In his hands were reports he'd read over and needed to file away for safekeeping. The others had retired long before, each bedroom door from II to XIII shut - Xemnas' bedroom was connected to his office in a higher level of the castle, which meant Saïx had to walk up a few flights of stairs before reaching his destination. Once in the office, he filed away reports in separate drawers for each members, and made a note to label a new drawer for Number IX.

When he rose, he heard a low chuckle. The hairs on his neck stood up. The laugh matched that of the Superior. But why would he be awake this late in the evening? With a growing curiosity, especially at the sight of the ajar bedroom door, Saïx couldn't help but look through the door. About two seconds later, he regretted it.

Inside was the Superior, as he'd suspected, but standing in front of Xemnas was Zexion, whose head was bowed low. Saïx could see the tears running down Zexion's face, as his hair wasn't covering the side facing him.

"Please, Superior," Zexion begged, his voice shaking heavily, "let me train Number IX."

"I'm sorry, but I've assigned Number II to train our newest member," Xemnas replied. "There's nothing that could possibly change my mind." Saïx could sense something off about him. There was something almost... animalistic in his eyes.

"Please," Zexion pleaded. "I'll do anything. Just let me train Myde... I mean, Number IX."

A silver eyebrow rose in amusement. "Anything?" he asked in a low whisper. He reached forward and toyed with the zipper of Zexion's cloak, the sound of the zipper clashing against itself more haunting than it should've been.

Saïx watched in shock as Zexion unzipped his cloak and let it fall to the floor. The tears came harder now. His body was decorated with cuts, bruises, and bite marks all over his shoulders. His skin was nearly grey, he was that pale and sickly looking. The Lunar Diviner nearly wanted to puke. "Anything," the schemer responded shakily.

Now Saïx had to look away. He was unable to watch whatever Zexion had subjected himself to, and instead listened to the sounds of skin against skin and his past-friend screaming with agony. He had begun to cry himself, but not because Zexion was handing his body over. Because it was Zexion in that room being subjected to Xemnas' touch, not himself.

He ended up portalling to Hollow Bastion, in the old castle. Knowing that no one was brave enough to venture to the castle, let alone the city at all, he let himself go into full berserker mode. He tore through the ruins of the castle, tearing at decaying bricks and destroying any objects within reach. Every now and then, an enraged howl would rip through his body and echo in the dead of night.

It just wasn't fair to him. Nothing was fair anymore.

* * *

Kairi was confused.

During a history lesson about Destiny Islands, she suddenly had a flash of something she'd never remembered before. Surrounding her were three boys she'd never seen before. One had striking red hair. One had extremely blue hair. The third had one eye. They were all looking at a book with pictures of boys and girls holding keys, and shiny armor. The impact of the memory made her hand shoot up in the air to interrupt her teacher's lecture.

"Yes, Kairi?" her teacher, who she called Miss because she couldn't remember her name, asked.

"Miss, why are we only learning about Destiny Islands?" she asked.

Miss raised an eyebrow and let out a laugh. "What do you mean?"

"Well," the redhead continued, ignoring the eyes of her peers glued to her, "there are other worlds out there we should be learning about. Why just talk about one when we could talk about hundreds of others?" Around her, the other eleven-year-olds gasped. Never has a kid been so bold, nor did they suggest such ludicrous theories like the possibility of there being other worlds.

"Kairi, I wish I understood what you were talking about," Miss said with a sigh. "There's no other worlds outside of this one."

"Yes there are! I know there are!"

"And what makes you so sure?"

"Because I came from another world!"

Kairi was confused because Miss sent her to the principal's office. Selphie promised to tell her later if Miss assigned any homework for the day. Outside the office, Riku was slumped in one of three chairs, where he ended up at least once every week. Kairi took the one next to him and sighed to get his attention.

"How did you get sent to the principal's office?" Riku asked with slight amusement.

"Miss got mad because I asked her why we didn't learn about other worlds," Kairi answered. "It's just not fair! Why is it like everyone's trying to keep this big secret from the rest of the world?"

"Because no one understands you like Sora and me do, Kai." Riku sat up and turned to face his friend. "And that's why I'm here. My teacher didn't like me asking about what's outside of the Islands."

Kairi groaned. "Wait till Sora gets to middle school. He's gonna be in just as much trouble as we are."

Riku laughed heartily at that. "He's already a handful. I can't imagine him getting into any more trouble than he is now."

Kairi smiled for a second before staring at her brown school shoes. She didn't want to tell Riku exactly why she asked Miss about other worlds. She didn't even understand what happened to her. What was so significant about those three boys and her past?

Kairi kicked the toe of her shoe against the tiles. She hated those ugly shoes.

* * *

Myde - er, Demyx now - wouldn't stop following Axel around the Castle. He wasn't offended by it or anything, but the kid was just full of questions. What's it like living in a castle? How does the ranking order work? How'd the others end up here? The list grew long. At first, Axel humored the kid, but now he just wanted to duct tape the blond's mouth shut.

"Look, Demyx," he said while the two snacked on the other members' stashes of sweets in the kitchen, "I know you're new and all, and you have millions of questions, but I can't answer all of them right now. If you want, you can just ask me the important ones, and I'll do my best to answer them."

Demyx was silent for a good five seconds before asking, "What are the other members like?"

Axel smiled. That was simple enough. "Well, the Superior is the Superior. Just do what he wants and he won't smite you. Saïx is the Superior's little lapdog, so I'd just avoid him. PS, don't ask about the scar on his face. He won't tell anyone where it came from. Don't piss off Xaldin, or else Vexen will have to stitch you up, or pull lances out of your body. Trust me, I know from personal experience. Vexen himself is pretty crazy. Lex doesn't say more than two words a week as far as I'm concerned. Then there's Xigbar - "

"What about me?" the Freeshooter asked from his perch, hanging upside-down from the ceiling, right above the boys. He did a flip to show off as he landed on the island counter between Axel and Demyx. "Nothing bad, right, flamer?"

Axel rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Other than you being a creepy pervert, you can be cool at times."

"Oh, Axel, my nonexistent heart breaks when you say such blasphemy." Xigbar turned his attention to the new member, who was still trying to figure out how someone had defied gravity like it was normal. Then again, nothing here was normal, as he'd learned today. "Don't worry 'bout me. Just got word from good ole Numero Uno that I'm paired up with Xaldin tomorrow."

"What?" Demyx asked. "I thought Xemnas asked you to train me."

"He had a change of heart." Xigbar took a moment to laugh at his own joke. "You're paired with Zexion now. Have fun with that stick in the mud. He'll end up boring the shit out of you halfway through his lecture on Heartless." Then, with a sneer, he added, "But he can be fun outside of work." With that, Xigbar hopped off the counter and portalled out of the kitchen.

Confused, Demyx asked Axel, "What does he mean by that?"

Shit. Axel really didn't want to explain this to Demyx. "Which part? About Zexion being a stick in the mud, or the other part?"

"Both."

Damn it all... "Well, Zexion has this... bored disposition, where he really just couldn't give two shits about anyone or anything. The only people he willingly stays around for more than two seconds are Vexen and Lexaeus, and that's to do weird science shit. Unless you know the definitions of 'electronic disfiguration' and 'tetrahydrate', you're gonna have a hard time getting along with him."

"That doesn't make sense," Demyx said with a laugh. "I mean, yeah, he's smart and stuff, but that's not the Ienzo I know."

Axel shook his head. "That's because he's not Ienzo anymore. He's changed over the two years since you've last seen him."

Again, Demyx laughed. "Nah, I know deep down inside, he's still the Ienzo I know and love."

This kid wasn't going to last a week in the Organization. He'd be eaten alive by the older members. Axel could tell that Xigbar had already taken a liking to him. In order to change the topic, he asked one question that'd been bothering him since he first learned about mermaids: "So, how do mermaids have sex?"

* * *

_As a bit of an early warning for those reading this, I plan on changing the rating from T to M. I plan on there being several semi-graphic scenes with sex and violence, neither of which necessarily belonging in the T section. I'll place a second warning when I post the chapter before the rating is changed._


	3. Chapter 3

"My fellow members, I have most wonderful news about our next member of the Organization - "

"I have a question about our name," Demyx interrupted the Superior. Most of the other members groaned, knowing exactly what direction this was heading in.

"Yes, Number IX?"

"Why is it called Organization XIII if there's only nine of us?"

"Well, Number IX, you see, there are thirteen darknesses to rival the seven lights. We must find..."

Zexion tuned Xemnas out, not wanting to hear yet another long-winded speech about the inevitable battle between the seven guardians of light and the thirteen seekers of darkness. He instead focused on Demyx, and his wide eyes as he tried to comprehend what the Superior was explaining. In the past months, Demyx was still struggling to keep up with the others, who'd all been there much longer than him. However, he easily skated through life (or his lack of one, if Nobodies could even been considered ones with life) by doing the bare minimal. All he had to do was bat his eyes and jut out his lip, and anyone would do the job for the both of them. Zexion knew this; he fell for the same face endlessly.

"...Anyway, as I was saying, I found our potential tenth member in Port Royal not too long ago. He's a gambler, for lack of a better terms, with a penchant for outsmarting his foes with tricks and tongue twisters. I think he'll be an excellent addition." Then, with a glance at Axel, he added, "And I know just the member to keep an eye out on him."

"You know, if you only want one eye on this guy, you could just send Xigbar," Axel said. "Besides, I heard that Port Royal is for pirates, so I don't think he'll stand out that much." Axel didn't bother dodging the bullets Xigbar shot at him.

"I'm sending you Axel for one reason only," Xemnas said with a pointed look. "You may receive the file on Number X from Saïx in the Grey Room. This meeting is dismissed."

Zexion portalled into the Grey Room shortly after Axel arrived. After snatching the file from Saïx, the redhead opened it, read the name, and gaped dramatically.

"Please tell me you knew about this, Saïx," he said. Zexion noticed the redhead's paling face.

"Don't make a scene out of this," Saïx said in his usual monotonous way.

Zexion had to bite. "Is there something wrong with our potential new member, Number VIII?" he asked.

Axel turned to Zexion. He seemed... jumpy. For lack of a better description, Zexion could almost say he was _surprised_. "Number X is Dulor."

"Is that supposed to mean anything to me?"

"It should. He's the guy I paid to take Kairi away."

Zexion's visible eye widened. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Saïx trying to mask any emotion he couldn't feel. "And that's why the Superior wants you to watch over him," he whispered. "I knew he was underhanded and cruel, but that..."

"Could've been worse," Saïx said. "He could've sent you to watch over someone on Destiny Islands. Or Kairi herself."

"That's where my mission tomorrow is," Zexion said. "Demyx and I have to go find a horde of Heartless that've been gathering outside of the main village."

"Number VI, I hope you know better than to interact with the villagers, so don't try to out yourself to Kairi."

"Wouldn't matter," Axel mumbled. "She doesn't know you."

This time, Saïx made his reaction visible. "And why wouldn't she remember us?" he asked. "She was nine; her memories of Radiant Garden shouldn't be too outdated in her mind."

"She doesn't remember that place either. I made sure she didn't."

"Why wouldn't you want her to remember us?" Zexion snapped.

"Because she's only a kid, and she doesn't need to be burdened with the memories of her home being destroyed!" Axel exclaimed. He paused to compose himself before adding, "It's better she doesn't remember us."

"I agree with Number VIII," Saïx said. "They aren't exactly pleasant memories to begin with."

"The memories of us being friends were pleasant!" Zexion cried. "The days we spent in Radiant Garden before our last days as Somebodies were the best days of my life! And sorry if you guys can't feel sympathy, but I sure as hell can!"

"No, Zexion, you can't," Axel said.

Zexion glared at them before stalking out with his head held high. Only when he was in the privacy of his room did he let himself cry.

* * *

Saïx spent that night wandering the halls of the castle, thinking to himself. Thinking about his life as a Somebody. Thinking about how much Zexion and Axel have changed since coming to the Organization. Thinking about Kairi. Thinking about Xemnas. Thinking about how much he wished Xemnas would pay him the attention he deserved...

Thinking about that annoying sitar music that gradually grew louder as he headed down the next corridor.

After turning the next corner, Saïx saw Number IX sitting on the windowsill, playing his sitar and humming along. The Melodious Nocturne had a smile on his face that Saïx wanted to wipe off with his claymore. He almost summoned his weapon when he heard someone else approaching. He ducked behind the corner he'd just crossed and peered around to see IV walking up to IX.

"Why did you want to meet here?" Zexion asked. "We could've just as easily gone to your room, or mine."

"We'll get there eventually," Demyx said. "I just wanted to show you something." He pointed out the window.

Zexion leaned forward with a puzzled expression. "The sky?"

"No, those two stars, beyond Kingdom Hearts. Do you know about Neverland?"

"I went on twenty-six missions there in the past three years."

"Yeah, but you only portalled there." Demyx put down Arpeggio and hugged Zexion close to him. "If you fly to the second star, you can get there. I've tried it once; it was a magical experience."

Zexion wrinkled his nose. "Couldn't you just swim there, like all other mermaids?"

"Yeah, but what's the fun in that?" Demyx faced Zexion. "One of these days, I want to take you up there, and show you what kind of magic you're missing."

Saïx almost gasped. There was a strict rule about showing emotion in the castle, since they could only feign it, not actually mean it. But a relationship... is that what he could even call this? Was this what was conspiring behind his back - the _Superior's_ back?

Another thought dawned on him. How would the Superior react to his favorite plaything having a relationship with a different member? One with possible meaning behind it. Would he try to break it up? Make sure they never spent another second together? The possibilities were endless...

Before he could have any more conniving thoughts, he heard Zexion say, "I smell one of the members close by."

"Alright, that nose scent thing you do is cool, but it's also really creepy," Demyx said.

"No, Demyx, it's a bad thing. We need to get out of here." Saïx heard a portal open. "Come on, we'll go back to my room."

When the portal closed, Saïx peered around the corner again, making sure they were gone. Then, with a sneer, he said, "Enjoy your time with number IX while it lasts, little schemer."

* * *

Kairi's clothing options were limited. Her mother bought all of Kairi's clothes. Pink, lavender, periwinkle, yellow - girly colors to match the frilly skirts and shirts, minus the blue-and-white-checkered skirts and ties and white shirts that were her school uniform. No boy colors, like red or black. No, she had to look like the perfect, adorable daughter, the role model daughter of the mayor and his wife, despite clearly looking nothing like them.

So when a yellow and black checkered scarf fell from the top of her closet while she was trying to grab her jumprope confused her. Where did it come from? Why did she have it?

"What's that?" Selphie asked with wide eyes.

"I don't know," Kairi said distantly. She picked up the scarf and turned it over in her hands. It felt soft against her skin, despite clearly being worn. It smelled faintly of brimstone.

"Well, where'd you buy it from?" Selphie continued.

"I don't know. I've never seen this before." Kairi tied the scarf around her neck. It matched with her white tank top and denim shorts. "But I like it!"

"You do?" Selphie's nose wrinkled. "It's so... boyish."

"So? I think it's cool."

"Kairi, there's dirt on it! Don't wear it!"

"Huh?" Kairi looked at the scarf in her vanity and noticed it glittering in the reflection. "It's not dirt. It's glitter."

"Well, it's still dirty. You really should wash it before you wear it," Selphie said.

"But I want to wear it now, and the guys are waiting downstairs," Kairi whined. "I'll just brush it off..."

From downstairs, while Sora and Tidus were debating about the best way to play defense in Blitzball, with Riku and Wakka listening and occasionally rolling their eyes, the four boys heard Kairi and Selphie shrieking. They dashed up the stairs and burst into Kairi's room to only see Selphie, who was on the floor and staring at the ceiling with awe and horror.

"What's wrong?" Tidus asked.

Their answer was an index finger pointing up. They looked up to see Kairi staring back down.

"Kairi, you can fly?!" Sora cried.

"No!" Kairi exclaimed. "I started floating up for no reason!"

While the six children tried to figure out how and why Kairi was on the ceiling, Wakka asked the girl above him, "Where'd you get the scarf from?"

* * *

Port Royale wasn't Axel's favorite place. Sure, he didn't mind the loads of rum he'd always treat himself to after completing a mission, but that was one of the few upsides of this place. For some off reason, it was either high-noon or the middle of this night in this world. The men and women here haven't showered once in their lives. Wenches threw themselves at him, tempting him to sleep with them (which he would, if he hadn't had Sex Ed during his days as Lea and knew about twenty things he could pick up from just one of these women). Everyone was loud and obnoxious. There were no less than three fights in this world a night.

But there was always the cool pirate outfit he donned whenever coming here. That was another plus.

Axel stayed seated at the bar, nursing his first mug of ale for the night, and observing the gambling match occurring in the middle of the bar. It was really a game between two men, but most of the bar (not including the wenches, who were hoping the one who won would spend his earned gold on their services) was supporting a man who had clearly seen things he couldn't explain to others.

Across from him sat none other than Dulor. In the last three years, he hadn't aged a bit. Still the clean blond hair on his head and face. Still the clothes that actually looked like they were scrubbed in soap and water this year. The derisive grin Axel remembered when he struck a deal with the pirate. This grin was focused on his own hand of five cards.

"If yer tryin' to fool me, lemme tell you that yer poker face ain't helpin' you," the competitor said with a glare.

Dulor chuckled. "I'm only grinning because I know that the cards in your hand are going to make you lose your winnings."

"Is that so?"

The challenging glances between the men brought the bar to utter silence. Dulor was the first to speak. "So, when you put those cards down, they won't read (from left to right, if I'm correct) three of hearts, five of spades, three of diamonds, king of diamonds, and five of clubs?" To add insult to injury, Dulor revealed his own hand - a royal flush, all spades. "I don't think you stand a chance, mate."

His rival looked rather shocked. Slowly, he showed each card, from left to right, matching each of Dulor's guesses. Even Axel was impressed by the blond's accuracy.

"I guess what they say is true," the now-loser said as he shoved his gold across the table.

"And what might that be?" Dulor asked as he gathered the gold into a small bag.

"That they 'ave bettah luck findin' Davey Jones' locker than winnin' a hand of cards against you."

"Aye, that's a great truth about me." Dulor bit one piece of gold before tossing it in the air and catching it between two fingers. "But, since you were such a fine competitor, I'll treat you. Round of rum on me!"

As the bar erupted into cheers and mugs slamming together, Axel calmly sipped his own drink. Something told him that Dulor would make a fine addition to the Organization.


	4. Chapter 4

On the main island, there was a rather large infestation of Heartless, all Neoshadows. Nothing a lexicon and sitar couldn't handle, as all the Heartless were destroyed within ten minutes. Demyx insisted that Zexion owed him a treat in response, because that was the most work he'd done since joining the Organization, and being rewarded might encourage him to continue improving. Zexion chose not to comment on how it'd just make Demyx beg for rewards every time he completed a mission and led the blond into the nearby village. Zexion bought Demyx a smoothie from a café and listening to loud slurps as they walked through the streets.

"You know, I wonder if anyone ever tried keeping a Heartless as a pet," Demyx wondered aloud.

"You do realize that if anyone kept a Heartless as a pet, it'd eventually kill them," Zexion replied.

"So it'd kill me?"

"No, Demyx, you're a Nobody. You don't have a heart. You'd probably be fine."

"Aw, we do too have hearts!"

"Fine. Then your Heartless would kill you, if another member didn't kill it first."

"You're no fun!" Demyx tossed his empty smoothie cup in a trashcan they passed. "Man, it's really hot on here."

"Well, Destiny Island experiences summer year-round. I don't know what happens underwater during the seasonal changes, but here it's always warm."

"Must be nice. If I lived here, I'd go to the beach everyday and swim in the ocean." Demyx's eyes twinkled at the thought. "And then I'd collect seashells, surf the waves..."

"...Smell like sea salt, always have sand on some part of your body," Zexion continued with an eyeroll. "No thanks, I'd prefer to deal with my seasons three months at a time."

"Wait, there's more than one season?!"

"Well, yes. Spring, autumn, winter, you know, the only three other seasons."

"What happens during then?"

"...Then I guess speaking of snow would be pointless - oof!" Zexion ran into another person and fell back. The other person turned out to be a kid around his size. The kid shook his head of shaggy silver hair as he recovered from his own fall. He stood up and dusted off his yellow shirt and blue shorts as Demyx helped Zexion to his feet.

Then it dawned on them that the Organization was supposed to avoid contact with Somebodies. Xemnas heavily disapproved of it, unless it was to recruit new members of the Organization. Exposing them to others could ultimately lead to the exposure of the Organization, or, worse, accidentally finding one of the guardians of light.

"Ri-ku! Slow down!" A small brunet turned the nearby corner and launched himself onto the silver-haired boy's back. "You're too fast!"

"I'm not too fast, you're just too slow," the first kid retorted. "Did you lose her?"

"I asked Wakka to stop her so she couldn't beat me!" The brunet giggled at his own plan before he noticed Demyx and Zexion. "Who're you?"

The two Nobodies shared a glance before Zexion answered, "I'm... Ienzo. And this is my friend Myde."

"Are you guys friends like me and Riku are friends?"

"Sora! You can't ask people stuff like that! It's not polite!" Riku scolded, prying Sora off of him.

"Aw, Ri-ku..."

"Sora!"

Sora jumped at the voice, and suddenly, Zexion became his human shield. "Don't let her get me!" the brunet cried.

Before either Nobody could ask who he was so afraid of, they were stunned silent by the irate redhead who turned the corner. Donned in a white dress, blue sandals, and a familiar keffiyeh was none other than...

"Kairi! There you are!" Riku called out. "You just missed Sora!"

"I'm not stupid, Riku," Kairi said bitterly. "And I hope he knows that I'm gonna make him eat sand for what he did!"

Behind Zexion, Sora gripped the black cloak in his tiny hands, trying his hardest not to give away his hiding spot.

"Wakka spun me around until I couldn't stand, then ran off, and told me that _Sora_ told him to," Kairi explained to her friend.

Was she always this sassy? Zexion remembered her being insightful. Maybe there was a hint of sass back then. Lea always knew how to bring out her inner brat when they hung out.

"Who're they?" Kairi pointed to Zexion and Demyx.

"Ienzo and Myde. I don't think I've ever met them before though," Riku replied.

"I don't remember them either..." The two kids gasped at the same time, and Kairi cried, "Are you guys from the outside worlds?"

Sora peered from behind Zexion. "Another world? Really?" he cried gleefully.

"Aha! There you are!" Kairi began chasing Sora down the street as the brunet ran away screaming. Riku followed his friends, calling out helpful ways for Sora to avoid Kairi's wrath.

Meanwhile, Demyx and Zexion has yet to recover from seeing their old friend. "Our little Kairi grew up," Demyx murmured.

"Yeah, she did," Zexion said quietly. Why didn't Kairi say hello, or throw herself at them for a constricting hug? Why didn't she _recognize _them?

"You know, it kind of sucks she doesn't remember us," Demyx rambled. "Maybe it's the cloaks. I mean, I probably wouldn't recognize anyone I knew in one of these things either. It took me a while to know it was you wearing that thing. And speaking of remembering, that scarf of hers looked awfully familiar, don't you think?"

"It's not a scarf," Zexion said automatically. "It's a... keffiyeh."

Axel was a dead man when he returned from Port Royal. That is, if Zexion was merciless enough to wait for Axel to return.

* * *

The pen Xemnas had been using to write out the upcoming missions fell and rolled onto the glossy white floor.

Saïx tried his best to hide his smug grin at the Superior's indifferent expression that would've been full of dismay had they been capable of feeling emotion. The smugness came from knowing internally that he has just claimed victory over a seemingly endless battle.

"How do you know about the possibility of there being a relationship between VI and IX?" Xemnas asked.

"It's more than a possibility, Superior," Saïx corrected. "I have witnessed the two rendevousing at night when they believe everyone else has retired for the night. That is, until recently, since their new meet-up place is VI's quarters."

If that didn't rile up Xemnas, nothing else would. "Have you documented this, VII?" Saïx produced a freshly typed report, which Xemnas immediately read through. His eyes darkened, his face reddened in anger. Saïx could sing right now, he was undeniably exuberant.

"The only question I was unable to answer in my report," he said, pulling Xemnas from his thoughts, "is why VI would go behind your back in such a devious way. Does he not care for your opinion on the matter? Perhaps this was the reason behind his pleading to spend time with IX. Or is his Somebody's memories making him choose IX over you?"

These lines were well-rehearsed. Saïx knew what the Superior did and didn't want to hear about his precious little Cloaked Schemer. Were the words pouring from his lips true? For the most part, absolutely. And Xemnas knew.

Speaking of the Superior, he rose from his seat and walked around his desk. A hand rested on Saïx's shoulder. He didn't seem to notice how his right-hand man froze at the touch. "It's good to know who is and isn't on the same side as me," he said. "I wish the other members were as loyal and reliable as you are, VII - I mean, Saïx." With the same monotone attitude as usual, he looked Saïx in the eye. "I feel that in the relationship we have, it's only fair to address you by your name, not your number."

"I don't know what to say, Superior," Saïx responded. He was struggling to keep his voice from cracking. The room felt uncomfortably warm now.

"You may say my name," the Superior said. "Come on, Saïx. Give it a try."

The younger Nobody licked his lips with a dry tongue and said quietly, "Xemnas."

"That's a start. Perhaps next time, I'll be able to draw out the loudness I know you keep hidden from others." Xemnas patted his shoulder before portalling from his own office.

Saïx slumped against the wall and clutched at his chest. Never had he experienced anything so exhilarating. At least, not since the moment Isa met his superior for the first time all those years ago.

* * *

"Kairi?"

The redhead blinked and looked at Selphie, whose head was cocked, and her smile was less flashy than usual. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah," Kairi responded quickly. She then remembered that she was in school before lowering her voice and asking, "Why?"

"Well, you've been staring into space for a while, and Tidus was five seconds from asking if we could take you to the nurse's office."

"Was not!" Tidus hissed from his seat in front of Selphie.

"Well, either way, you've been spacey all month," Selphie continued, her smile back to its normal cheeriness. "Care to explain?"

"It's nothing much," Kairi said. "Just... there's these boys - "

"Ooh, boys!" Selphie giggled. "Were they cute?"

"No way! They were too old!" Kairi and Selphie quickly looked at their workbooks when the teacher shushed them. Kairi added, "Besides, I wasn't trying to check them out."

"Wait, were these the guys you ran into after Wakka ambushed you?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah, them." Kairi leaned back in her seat and sighed. "When I saw them, they just looked so familiar. It was like I saw them before."

"Are they from another village?" Selphie asked. "You know, maybe you went across the main island and bumped into them before."

"No, Selph, it wasn't like that. It was like I knew them from before."

Kairi thought back to when she was eleven, when she got in trouble for suggesting that there were worlds outside of their own. When she thought of those boys, and those armored suits with Keyblades. Were they the same boys? No, one of them definitely didn't look like them. Or did he, and her memory was just hazy?

"It's like they're from another world or something," she found herself whispering. Neither Selphie nor Tidus heard, as they were talking about the new teams for Blitzball at the beach later in the day. Nor did the teacher hear and send her to the principal's office for spreading crackpot theories _again_.

Who were those two boys?

* * *

Axel knew that Zexion was very mentally ahead of others. He spoke algorithms and facts like it was nothing more than the weather for today. But physically, the kid was a twig, and a weak one at that. Everyone said so, including Zexion himself. He couldn't lift anything heavier than his lexicon, and that was barely more than five pounds. However, he took that back when he decided to RTC to tell Xemnas that he was ready to lure Dulor in, just to be greeted by Zexion's fist in his face.

"Holy shit, Zexion just socked the shit out of Firecrotch!" Xigbar called from his perch on the ceiling. The other members showed up one by one, minus the Superior, to watch how this would all go down.

"You bastard!" Zexion spat. "You selfish little prick!"

"Nice to see you too, Zexion," Axel grunted.

"You told us that you made sure Kairi didn't remember who we were," Zexion said. "Told us that she had her memory wiped out."

"Yes, she did. And...?"

"And... and that's complete bullshit!"

"Zexion!" Vexen scolded from the hallway entrance.

"I just happened to see Kairi on a recent mission to Destiny Islands, you know," Zexion continued. Axel blinked, and saw that there were now four Zexions circling him. "And she was wearing something interesting, too. You remember that stupid yellow keffiyeh you always used to wear when you were a Somebody?"

Axel swore under his breath. He was screwed. "Yeah, what about it?" he said bitterly.

"Well, Kairi finally has the chance to wear it. Care to elaborate?"

"Not particularly."

The Zexions behind and on both sides of him dissolved as the real one yanked him up by the front of his cloak until their faces were nearly pressed together. "What gives you the right to give her something to remember _you_ by? What makes you so damn special over Saïx and me?"

"How about the fact that I stuck with until the end, while you two abandoned us?" Axel hissed. "You only saw her get hurt once. I watched it take its toll on her until she was floating away with some pirate."

"Oh, how dare I insult you." Zexion dropped Axel. "You've always been such a good friend. Always making sure that no one you care about gets hurt, right?"

Axel stood up and took two steps back. "That has nothing to do with this, Zexion," he said slowly, knowing how quickly this situation was turning south.

"If you cared about me, you'd try to help me," Zexion said. He was starting to cry now. Axel was floored by how vulnerable he looked. "You wouldn't let them... let them..."

"Zexion, don't take this any further than we want it to go..." Axel put one hand behind his back, prepared to summon a chakram if he needed to.

"If you're going to fight me, fight me like a man and keep your weapons out of this," Zexion called out. "I don't even think you could if you tried."

"That's because I don't want to fight you."

Clearly, Zexion didn't feel the same way, because Axel was soon pinned to the ground and trying to block two small but quick fists aiming at his head. He could vaguely hear Vexen demanding that Saïx find the Superior. He had never been so grateful to see Xemnas until the moment he pried Zexion off of him, still flailing and screaming through the tears.

"That's enough, Number VI," Xemnas demanded. Zexion obeyed, breathing heavily with his mouth. To Axel, he said, "There's no need for the two of us to meet. You must have Number X in the castle as a Nobody within a week."

"You don't want to see me for anything else?" Axel asked.

Xemnas shook his head solemnly. "I now have other priorities for the evening," he said, giving Zexion a quick glance. A glance that made Axel's stomach churn. "You've done exceedingly well with this mission. There's no need for us to meet. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to punish a certain member for his actions."

When Xemnas portalled out of the Grey Room with Zexion, most of the members knew exactly what was going to happen. Demyx was still trying to process Zexion's sudden violent outburst.


End file.
